Why Kids Dental Extractions are needed and what to expect
Baby teeth naturally fall out on their own when a child’s permanent teeth begin to grow underneath them, but sometimes, dental extractions for kids are necessary before a tooth falls out on its own. At Mona Dental for Kids in Spring, Texas, we make dental extractions easy and comfortable for your child. And we offer space maintainers if needed to preserve space for the permanent tooth to grow naturally.
Reasons why dental extractions may be needed
Dr. Houshiar may recommend tooth removal in a variety of different scenarios:
- The baby tooth has long roots or is misshapen, so it is not falling out on its own
- The permanent tooth beneath a baby tooth is growing in an unfavorable path of eruption, and it is not causing the baby tooth roots to dissolve correctly and fall out.
- The tooth is severely decayed and therefore putting the other teeth and jawbone at risk of damage.
- There is not enough space for a permanent tooth to come in.
- An infection is causing pain and placing your child at risk of further oral health and dental trauma.
- The wisdom teeth are not erupting as they should or are causing problems due to insufficient space in the mouth.
- For orthodontic correction purposes
What to expect
Most dental extractions are quick and easy, and in some cases, they can even be performed during your child’s routine dental visit. If a child is in pain or there is a risk of a tooth damaging the other surrounding oral structures, we may recommend an emergency extraction. To perform the extraction, we will first make your child comfortable using a type of sedation like nitrous oxide with a local anesthetic. Then, we will gently expand the socket in which the tooth is located and then separate the tooth from the ligament that holds it in place. After the extraction, we will give you all of the after-care instructions you need, which typically includes avoiding drinking with straws, vigorous rinsing, eating hard or sharp foods for a day, and using cold compresses and medications such as Tylenol or Advil as needed for pain or swelling.
To schedule an appointment at Mona Dental for Kids, call our dental office today at (832) 662-3008. We serve families in the Spring, Tomball, Woodlands, Champions, Conroe, and surrounding areas and look forward to welcoming you to our dental family!
